Cardiff Castle field of remembrance opens with service

A field of remembrance honouring members of the armed forces since World War One has opened at Cardiff Castle.

More than 10,000 remembrance crosses and tributes from other faiths have been planted at the Welsh national field of remembrance, which will be open until 19 November.

This year also commemorates the centenary of Mametz Wood at the Battle of the Somme.

First Minister Carwyn Jones was among those attending a service at the field.

He read the poem Mametz Wood by Owen Sheers, with Wales Office minister Guto Bebb reading the Exhortation in Welsh.

The Last Post was sounded by a Royal British Legion bugler followed by a two-minute silence.

A performance by the Military Wives Choir Defence Academy completed the service.

Each of the tributes planted in the Cardiff Castle field of remembrance carries a personal message to the fallen.

Thirty-five children from St Nicholas Primary School in the Vale of Glamorgan were among those who planted crosses in the field paying tribute to those who had lost their lives.

Class teacher Jason Downey said it was the children's way of saying "thank you".

"It is very important that the youngsters don't forget the sacrifices that were made on their behalf and that are still going on in the world today, so they appreciate what was done for their freedom," he said.

John Dart, who joined the Welch Regiment Territorial Army in 1963, said those who were killed in service in his family were always in his thoughts.

He said: "This is just the tip of an iceberg that runs deep into the history of the men and women who lost their lives so that we can stand here free."

Billy John, 82, from Cardiff, who served in the 2nd Battalion South Wales Borderers, said he would always remember his friends who died during the war.

Cardiff's field is one of six across the UK, which will see 120,000 tributes planted.